Helping Those Who Put Their Lives On The Line For Us

There is an organization called Soldiers' Angels which exists to provide aid and comfort to the men and women of our Armed Forces, their families, and veterans. Their motto is "May No Soldier Go Unloved." To date, they have:

• Sent hundreds of thousands of care packages and letters to deployed troops
• Provided over 6,000 voice-controlled, adaptive laptops to severely wounded soldiers as they recover
• Provided wounded soldiers with over 25,000 First Response backpacks
• Provided emergency aid to veteran's families
• Provide Level III Kevlar blankets to soldiers in Iraq to help protect them in the early days of IEDs before up-armoring.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Linoge at Walls of the City - a veteran of service in the US Navy - is spearheading a fundraising drive for Soldiers' Angels and has asked other bloggers to help get the word out. In an effort to encourage donations, he has organized a giveaway which can be entered by donating to Soldiers' Angels. A number of people and companies have donated gifts and prizes including a Dragon Leatherworks holster, a Best Belt from Michael's Custom Holsters, Gunwalker T-shirts from Sean Sorrentino, Crimson Trace Lightguards, and a copy of Stephen Hunter's newest book. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thinking back over my childhood, my father was deployed with the US Army for at least five Christmases when I was growing up. While we sent him gifts and care packages, I imagine that there were many soldiers in his units who were not so fortunate. I know from personal experience just how much these letters and care packages mean to deployed servicemen and women. I would ask you to participate in the fundraising drive for Soldiers' Angels as it is for those who protect our freedoms here at home.

Here are the rules for Linoge's giveaway:

How to Earn a Ticket:

1. Every five dollars you donate directly to Soldiers’ Angels nets you one numbered ticket.
2. Every five dollars you spend in their Dollar Days or Amazon shops (where the products are shipped directly to them) gets you one ticket.
3. Every five dollars you spend in the Angels’ Store for any product that is shipped to "ANY Hero", "ANY Wounded Soldier", or "A SPECIFIC Soldier" earns you one ticket.
4. DO NOT SEND ME MONEY. All money and goods should go directly to Soldiers’ Angels.
5. DO SEND ME THE RECEIPT. Anonymize it however you like, and use the actual receipt or a screencap, but email from an address I can reach you back at. Send the receipt/proof to “linoge (at) wallsofthecity (dot) net”.
6. Within 24 hours, you should receive an email from me indicating your ticket numbers. If you do not, feel free to email me again or comment here.

To get more information on Linoge's fundraising drive, go here. His original announcement of the program is here.

I have sent a donation to Soldiers' Angels. Now it is your turn and I hope you will be generous.